Our Team

Dr. Alan Ulsifer graduated as an optometrist in 1990 from the University of Waterloo, where he was acknowledged for several awards in clinical achievement, including the Ontario Association of Optometrists Award for Excellence in Patient Management.

After graduating, Dr. Ulsifer became one of the founders and a managing partner of Northern Vision Centre, which developed into one of Canada’s largest independent optometric practices. Dr. Ulsifer has also been involved at the executive level with various not-for-profit Boards including the Alberta Optometric Association, Rotary, Optometry Giving Sight, the Alberta Freestyle Ski Association and the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce.

In 2008, Dr. Ulsifer oversaw the creation of FYidoctors, which still stands as the largest business merger in Canadian history in terms of the number of companies involved. He was awarded the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur Award for Western Canada in 2008 and the Prairies Entrepreneur Award in 2012. Dr. Ulsifer has served on other not-for-profit Boards over the years and has an ICD.D designation. He currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the FYidoctors Board of Directors.

Mr. Michael Ross is a University of Alberta graduate, Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA), Fellow of the Certified Management Accountants (FCMA), Certified Management Consultant (CMC), Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR - retired) and Institute of Corporate Directors certified (ICD.D).

Mr. Ross retired as CEO of Conroy Ross Partners in 2012. As an Ernst & Young partner he held many roles including National Managing Partner (Canada) of middle market and entrepreneurial consulting.

In addition to sitting on the FYidoctors Board of Directors, Mr. Ross also sits on Boards for Fountain Tire, Frac Shack Inc., Norseman Group Ltd., G2 Integrated Solutions (Systems Integrity Management Solutions, Inc. — Houston, TX) and CORUS Orthodontists Inc.

Dr. Craig Meckelborg graduated as an optometrist from the University of Waterloo in 1993 and later completed a certificate in ocular therapeutics at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He went on to practice in Edmonton and Calgary before acquiring his first practice in Airdrie.

Dr. Meckelborg was later elected onto the Alberta Association of Optometrists as a Council Member. He then started a practice in McKenzie Towne, Calgary, which was one of the first clinics to join FYidoctors as a bannered location.

Dr. Meckelborg continues to be active in the Alberta Association of Optometry Political Action Committee. Over his last 9 years on the FYidoctors Board of Directors, he has sat on both the Audit and Governance and Compensation Committees. He continues his educational pursuits through the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Dr. Michael Naugle acquired his Bachelor of Science with honours from the University of New Brunswick. He then received his Doctor of Optometry with honours from the University of Waterloo in 1992. Since 1996, Dr. Naugle has served on the Council of New Brunswick Association of Optometrists, including two years as President from 2000-2002. Since 2010, he has also served as Chair on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Coalition of Eye Care Professionals.

In his current role as VP, Optometric Partnerships, Dr. Naugle oversees the growth and development of the FYidoctors banner in Canada and is a key figure in recruiting new optometrists. From the company’s inception up until 2015, he served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee.

Mr. Jeffrey MacPherson received his degree in Business Administration from the University of Regina before beginning his banking career with CIBC. He also worked with BMO, who nominated him to participate in a joint BMO/Dalhousie University MBA program which focused on executive development. Mr. MacPherson then went on to serve as Executive Vice President responsible for the Commercial, Consumer and Wealth Divisions of Conexus Credit Union before joining the Factory Optical group. In the latter position he successfully negotiated a venture capital investment program that supported significant growth of the organization in Western Canada.

Outside of work, Mr. MacPherson has served 12 years as Chair for the Regina Exhibition Association Board, Regina’s sport and entertainment hub. Housing Taylor Field, Brandt Centre, The International Business Centre and Queensbury Convention Centre, this not-for-profit entity has a significant economic presence in its city.

With an extensive 30-year career as a Doctor of Optometry, Dr. Kelly previously served on the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists Council as President and Registrar. He was also the Minister's representative on the Health Assessment Board, and is a past Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists President's Award recipient.

Dr. Kelly also spent a decade as a director for Horizon Laser Vision Center, six years as a Senator for the University of Regina, and has also served as a consultant and lecturer for several pharmaceutical and contact lens companies.

Dr. Kerby Kelly is the Chair of FYidoctors' Advisory Committee and been on the Board since its inception.

Dr. Alan Ulsifer graduated as an optometrist in 1990 from the University of Waterloo, where he was acknowledged for several awards in clinical achievement, including the Ontario Association of Optometrists Award for Excellence in Patient Management.

After graduating, Dr. Ulsifer became one of the founders and a managing partner of Northern Vision Centre, which developed into one of Canada’s largest independent optometric practices. Dr. Ulsifer has also been involved at the executive level with various not-for-profit Boards including the Alberta Optometric Association, Rotary, Optometry Giving Sight, the Alberta Freestyle Ski Association and the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce.

In 2008, Dr. Ulsifer oversaw the creation of FYidoctors, which still stands as the largest business merger in Canadian history in terms of the number of companies involved. He was awarded the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur Award for Western Canada in 2008 and the Prairies Entrepreneur Award in 2012. Dr. Ulsifer has served on other not-for-profit Boards over the years and has an ICD.D designation. He currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the FYidoctors Board of Directors.

Mr. Imran Gulam obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and articled at PwC, where he obtained his Chartered Accountant designation. He later achieved a Masters in U.S. Taxation from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Mr. Gulam joined FYidoctors in 2014, bringing his financial skill sets in budgeting, forecasting, tax and treasury proficiency, as well as his past experience as the CFO of a publicly listed company. He is also a director at the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing settlement and integration services to refugees and immigrants living in Southern Alberta.

Mr. Darcy Verhun obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta and MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. Prior to joining FYidoctors he held executive leadership roles at Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton and Cap Gemini. Mr. Verhun has been recognized as a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada and as a Distinguished Alumni of MacEwan University. He is a Certified Corporate Director, Certified Management Consultant, member of Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Global Coaches (#MG100) and President of FYidoctors, where he leads the senior management team.

Mr. Verhun’s leadership is based on being a lifelong learner and passionate coach who lives his life with gratitude. He is known for the high energy and commitment he brings to everything. Through FYidoctors he is able to align his personal beliefs with an organization whose purpose is to enhance lives.

Mr. Verhun was a founding Director of The Calgary Homeless Foundation, where he served as Treasurer from 1998 to 2017. He serves today as a Director of HomeSpace Society, a non-profit intent on eliminating homelessness. In addition to his commitment to help those in need, he is a passionate skier with considerable experience as a downhill ski racing coach. He has achieved the highest level of certification in Canada as a Level IV instructor.

Scott Shaw is an experienced professional with the optometric industry. Prior to joining FYidoctors, he spent eight years with CIBA Vision Canada, starting as a sales rep before being promoted to National Account Manager; a role which involved working with large Canadian optometric groups, including DEN, Iris and FYidoctors. During his time at CIBA, Scott also managed the Lens Care business, working with retailers such as London Drugs, Pharmasave, Overwaitea Foods and Safeway.

Scott officially joined FYidoctors in October of 2008. In his current role he communicates and coordinates with FYidoctors employees, suppliers and partners, in addition to advising on acquisitions and new clinic rollouts.

Terry is a business and financial professional with over for 25 years of experience working in the banking industry for companies including the Alberta Treasury Branches and CIBC. After leaving the banking sector, Terry would later go on to become the Manager of the Northern Vision Centre optometry practices.

Since joining FYidoctors, Terry has been instrumental in transitioning new practices within FYidoctors and currently manages numerous other internal and external programs. He is also heavily involved in the organization and management of the Regional and Practice Coaches in order to further streamline communications and patient care at all FYidoctors locations.

Kevin joins FYidoctors with over 20 years of experience in IT leadership. Building IT shops from the ground up to over 90 cross-functional team members, and successful project management and implementation of mission critical multi-million dollar corporate initiatives are among his accomplishments. He brings business knowledge in the healthcare, insurance, transportation and government sectors, including practical experience in the areas of privacy and security – particularly as they apply to the interoperable Electronic Health Record initiative in Canada.

He became part of the FYidoctors IT team as VP of Innovation and IT in January of 2016. Kevin is working closely with the team to improve the overall utility and value of our IT hardware and software assets and services, putting a heightened focus on customer experience, capitalizing on new technologies, mindful organizational change management, and team building.

Kevin was born and raised in BC, and enjoys his time in our Ophthalmic Laboratory in Delta, BC.

Dr. Frédéric Marchand graduated from the Laval University in 1996 with a BAA in Marketing and Finance. He later graduated from the University of Montreal in 2001 as an optometrist before joining the Marchand Optometry family business as it became the only third-generation optometric practice in Québec.

Under his leadership, the Marchand Group grew from 30 to 70 locations operating under multiple banners before he joined FYidoctors in 2015. These clinics, and many other partners, have been unifying under Québec’s well-established Visique brand since 2017.

In 2012, Dr. Marchand received the honour of “Bâtisseur” from the University of Montreal for his overall contribution to the profession in the business development category. One such contribution was his role in 2008 as a founding partner of “Centre Oculaire de Quebec,” a new and innovative collaboration model between optometry and ophthalmology. He has held different positions over the last 20 years on the provincial and national optometrist associations board and executive comity. He is an active board member of ABCIOQ, Québec’s optical owner’s association and an advocate and contributor to Montreal’s school of optometry financing and development comity.

Dr. Marchand lives in Blainville, Québec with his wife Anouk, who is also an optometrist, and their two children, Julia and Cédric.

Ms. Nancy Morison graduated from the University of British Columbia in the field of Human Kinetics with a specialization in leadership and coaching. She was also a finalist in the 2013 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards in the Business and Professions category. In 2017 she joined FYidoctors after filling senior roles in numerous industries, including online optical with Clearly.ca, online home food delivery with SPUD.ca, IT product management with i2 Technologies and small pack supply chain and logistics with Loomis Express.

As the VP of the FYidoctors Ophthalmic Lab located in Delta, BC, Ms. Morison delivers on the FYidoctors DNA of Enhancing Life with a team focused on the daily manufacturing and shipping of over 2000 lenses and glasses. A native Vancouverite, Ms. Morison is proud to work in Delta, the community she has always called home.

Mr. Andrew Taub graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in Finance and Accounting before going on to obtain an MBA from Columbia Business School. He currently is a Managing Partner at L Catterton, focused on the Buyout fund, and serves on the Board of Directors of several L Catterton portfolio companies.

Having joined L Catterton in 1996, Mr. Taub has nearly 25 years of experience in private equity and has led more than a dozen investments at L Catterton. Mr. Taub’s investment and operating expertise spans the consumer landscape through investments in the healthcare, restaurant, food, pet and marketing services industries. Mr. Taub previously spent three years as a Vice President at Nantucket Holding Company, a merchant bank. Mr. Taub also served in the corporate finance group of Coopers & Lybrand. He started his career at Dean Witter Reynolds in mergers & acquisitions.

Mr. Tim Gillespie is a graduate of the Haskayne School of Business and holds a Chartered Financial Analysts designation. He started his career as an International Equities Trader in Odense, Denmark and has spent over 35 years in the finance industry, holding numerous corporate lending and capital markets positions. During his long career, he has specialized in technology, real estate, transportation, retail and energy. He was most recently Executive Vice President and Head of ATB Financial’s Corporate Financial Services Division.

In addition to sitting on the FYidoctors Board of Directors, Mr. Gillespie serves on the Board of the HomeSpace Society and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also Vice Chair for Meals on Wheels.

Mr. Rajan Shah holds a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance and a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo. He is a Vice President at L Catterton, a CPA and CBV in Canada and currently serves on the Board of Directors of several L Catterton portfolio companies.

Prior to joining the company in 2018, Mr. Shah was a Principal at the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (OTPP), where he focused on global opportunities in the consumer and healthcare services sectors. He spent time in both OTPP’s Toronto and Hong Kong offices. Prior to joining OTPP in 2014, he spent time at Imperial Capital and the corporate finance group at PwC.

Elara Verret obtained her Honours BSc in Biochemistry at Bishop’s University before earning an MBA in Marketing and Strategy with honours at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in 2010.

Ms. Verret has over 15 years of experience in leading award-winning marketing and ecommerce strategies for high-profile Canadian and international brands. As Vice President, Digital and Brand, Ms. Verret leads digital strategy and online business for all our banners and contributes invaluable insight and expertise to the key elements of FYidoctors’ growth strategy.

Before joining our executive team, Ms. Verret served as Vice President of Marketing, Ecommerce & Visual Presentation for Reitmans Canada Ltd., where she led the brand evolution roadmap, digital strategy as well as commercial and operational ecommerce re-platforming and CMS implementation. Ms. Verret has also filled senior marketing roles at Psycho Bunny, ALDO, La Senza and Hill+Knowlton Strategies.